Part 36 - Goodbye

Saying goodbye with acceptance and grace.

"You and I will meet again, when we're least expecting it. One day in some far off place, I will recognize your face. I won't say goodbye my friend, for you and I will meet again."

- T. Petty

I don't, generally speaking, mind goodbye. If all is impermanence then goodbye is nothing more than a moment. One to cherish, not fear or dislike. I see goodbye as an invitation. Wanna join me later on? Wanna keep in touch?

Halcyon House has been full of friends this weekend. Nick and Fay hauled Carla with them from Seattle to Nashville to spend a weekend. Clara came up from Sewanee for a presentation she had to give on Friday night. She stayed the weekend. Tony and Iris dropped by for dinner on Saturday, which is pretty common. Carrie came by for dinner on Saturday. Nancy and Paul and Delaney and Austin, all joined us for dinner on Saturday. A table surrounded by friends is a wonderful thing.

Kim and I travel this evening. We're heading to Las Vegas for a week of work and community building for our business. A board meeting. A conference. Some dinners. Some production. It'll be a good week.

But today - Monday - we say goodbye to our cadre of pals from Seattle. They hop a flight this afternoon to head home and rejoin their normal day-to-day. We send them off with love in our hearts and the knowledge that we'll see one another again, sooner or later.

I don't mind goodbye. For me, goodbye is full of hope and expectation (the good kind).

I have tried to find joy in moments lately. Moments are what we have. String enough of them together - in good fashion - and you've got a life. In the grand scheme, life (the life we each struggle through, with grace - or not) is only a moment. I'm determined to find some joy. Wanna come along?